1- Describe each of the following commands: (16 marks)

1. ls -al
2. mkdir -p /home/munir/courses/cs604
3. rm –rf directory1 directory2
4. pwd
5. cp –ir /home/user1/directory1 /home/user2/directory2
6. mv *.c ./cfiles
7. ls –l > list
8. ps fax | less

If this doesn't have what you are looking for, you can find the answers to all of those in about 5 minutes with Google.

You're just posting questions from your homework, or your test here. Wouldn't it be better to ask your professor for help instead of us?

Wow. This is pretty lazy.

The nibbag even included how many marks we can earn .

1. This indicates that everything gets selected.
2. This makes Windows delete the selected directory.
3. This remotely stops your liver from working!
4. This indicates that you're stupid and got owned!
5. Control Point! Congratulations, 2 more and you win a match of Warsong Gulch!
6. Moves your entire C partition to a single folder!
7. This disabels lisps from your os' language settings.
8. This adds a post-scriptum that the office can't use the fax device that often.

Well it's pretty obvious that these are linux commands, and also that it's been long enough the said thread starter would have finished their homework. So for all those who are waiting with baited breath. The answers are as follows:

1. Lists all files, with all attributes. Similar to dir -a with windows.

2. Creates a directory (although the syntax is incorrect)

It should read: mkdir directory /home/........ etc
Where directory is the folder to be created.

3. Removes an entry, the -rf switches means it will also delete any sub-entries too. Although it will only take wildcards and a single entry, not both directory1 directory2

4. pwd is also used with the wrong syntax.
Used correctly it would state: pwd (user) and allow the users password to be changed.

5. Copy command, similar to windows.

6. Move command, also similar to windows.

7. List command yet again, with different syntax. This syntax does not work with all *nix based systems, but it will check the name of the file system entries and list those that have more characters than list

8. ps fax is the equivalent of Task Manager in windows. Using the less syntax shortens it's outputs to very simple information.

I'm pretty sure that's all of them.

Nope, it would create the directory cs604, and any directories leading up to it if they don't exist.


'rm' will take as many arguments as you have memory.


'pwd' prints the working directory, 'passwd' changes the user's password (and the username is optional).


Nope, the '>' redirects the output of 'ls -l' to the file named 'list'.


Kind of. You got the first part right, but what 'ps' does by default is dump a listing of currently running processes to stdout. The pipe redirects it to the 'less' program, which displays enough to fill the screen and lets the user scroll down.

This post has been edited by Tom9729: 31 Jul, 2008 - 12:23 PM

dude, just look at man page for each command

I W4NTZ TEH M4RKZZZZZZZ!

Wow, that really shows my need to refresh my *nix use.

@ Kirth: users come here for help...not useless/rude/stupid comments...grow up.